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Akuma
Akuma (悪魔 or アクマ, "Demon" or "Devil"), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki, "Great Demon", "Great Devil" or "Great Ogre"), is a playable character and major villain in the Street Fighter series Originally appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss, he is Gouken's younger brother and Ryu's adoptive uncle. Akuma is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in all of Capcom's 2D Games; in Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken, he is voiced by Taketora. Description Akuma usually wears a dark-colored gi; it is often black or gray, but varies depending on the series or artwork. He has red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, and is often bare-footed, though some games have him wearing brown sandals. He is often seen with a black belt on his gi around the waist. He has tanned skin and crimson eyes, and wears his deceased master Goutetsu's prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black "heaven" (天, ten) kanji on the center bead in some video games. This kanji is featured frequently in Akuma's appearances, most often at the end of a Raging Demon attack, where it burns itself onto the back of Akuma's gi top. It takes on a slightly different shape between the original Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV; the top stroke of the kanji is more narrow in Super Street Fighter IV than in the original, and may have taken this shape due to Akuma's 2nd alternate costume using exactly the same new shape on the back. In the Street Fighter III series, the belt is replaced by a rope, and his hair is slightly grayed, hinting that Akuma, while seemingly inhuman, is still physically aging. In the Street Fighter IV series, his gloves are also replaced with ropes. History Pre-Alpha Akuma and his brother Gouken were students of Goutetsu. Goutetsu taught a nameless life-threatening martial art, which incorporates elements of Karate, Judo, and Kempo. He also taught the Shun Goku Satsu (literally Instant Hell Murder), a lethal technique which, although incredibly powerful, puts the user in considerable danger. As the brothers progressed under Goutetsu's tutelage, a dispute arose on the true nature of their fighting style and the path to master it. Gouken, unable to accept the violent nature and the Satsui no Hado of his fighting style, left Goutetsu to begin his own dojo, which Goutetsu did not oppose. Akuma continued Goutetsu's teachings, and vowed to use their fighting style as it was intended. In order to learn Shun Goku Satsu, Akuma embraced the principle of Satsui no Hado, and was forced to give up any compassion he held towards other human beings. In addition, Akuma realized his limits as a martial artist could be expanded, and left Goutetsu's guidance of enlightenment to train alone to gain more power. However, due to embracing the Satsui no Hado to his fullest extent, he developed a lust to fight to the death, unlike Goutetsu, who had been able to use the Satsui no Hado without giving in to its dark side. After coming back from his island, Akuma went back to Goutetsu, and fought him. Akuma killed him with the Shun Goku Satsu and, believing that he was the true master of the Art, took the prayer beads of his dead master and placed it on his neck. Gouken came to visit his former master to see how he was doing, only to find his lifeless body and his brother, now no longer human. Gouken, shocked to see that his younger brother took the life of their master, berated Akuma, who said nothing and left for the woods. Many years later, Akuma fought Gouken, while the then-young duo of Ryu and Ken watched. Akuma told Gouken that he was not strong enough to face him without giving in the killing intent; Gouken retorted that the art was much more than just death and destruction, accusing Akuma of dishonoring their master's name. Akuma told his brother that Goutetsu did not truly understand the art, and that he was a fool for not using the Satsui no Hado to its fullest extent. The fight continued, and Gouken won. Akuma told his brother to kill him, but Gouken had no intention of murdering his own kin, prompting Akuma to call him weak for sparing the life of a strong opponent and declare that he would return. A couple of years later, Akuma came back to Gouken's dojo and fought him in battle, using the Shun Goku Satsu on him. Akuma believed him dead, not knowing that Gouken had somehow lived through the attack by emptying his soul, and was only in a coma. Ken saw the flash of the attack while running to the dojo, but arrived only to find Gouken on the floor. Knowing who was behind this, Ken confronted Akuma in the woods and fought him, only to be defeated. After defeating Ken, Akuma disappeared without a trace. Street Fighter Alpha Akuma only appears as a secret character only playable via random fighter at the character selection screen. He shares his moveset with Ryu and Ken. An artwork shows that, at some point, he helps a child who got lost in his cave. In his retconned ending, he defeats Bison claiming his quest was complete, though he feels empty. Gouken is seen in the background of his ending, as one of the people who fear and oppose him. Street Fighter Alpha 2 Akuma begins to search the globe looking for worthy fighters to challenge. Secluding himself in the shadows, he watches small tournaments and street fights, desperately seeking someone who might be able to match his strength. He is eventually challenged by a man named Gen. Gen fights a vicious battle, even surviving the Shun Goku Satsu by emptying his soul in time. Just as Akuma begins to wonder whether this man is the worthy opponent he's searching for, he begins to sense not all is as it seems. When Gen's mouth begins to bleed, Akuma's suspicions are confirmed: his opponent is sick, and the fight is not fair. After being knocked to the ground, Gen tells Akuma to kill him. Not wanting to carry the fight on any longer, Akuma leaves, infuriating Gen. After the fight, Akuma becomes obsessed with Ryu, hoping to awaken the Satsui no Hado within his prey. Ryu eventually finds Akuma's island (known as Onigami Isle or the Gokuentou) and challenges him. The intense battle ended with Ryu gaining the upper hand; in truth, Akuma was only testing him. Akuma regains composure and tells Ryu to find him again when he has embraced the Satsui no Hado, before striking the ground with a powerful blow and disappearing. The island falls apart around Ryu, who is left in the ocean to contemplate Akuma's words. Leaving his destroyed abode, Akuma thinks about all the fighters he has encountered, and wonders with excitement if one day he will fight someone strong enough to kill him in battle. This thought drives him on; finding a desolate cavern (also known as Kiga Cave), he begins to train anew and await the day when he will fight Ryu again. At some point, he defeats and kills a Muay Thai fighter who was about to challenge the champion, Adon. Adon sees this as a challenge and sets out to find Akuma, to fight him and prove that he is stronger. In his ending, he comes to the realization that worthy opponents have challenged him during his journey. He decides that he could stay on Earth to perfect his killing power, knowing that there are opponents that Akuma can consider worthy. While thinking about the opponents he challenged, there are visions of Gen, M. Bison and Ryu on the moon. He then comments that he will be the next to die. Street Fighter Alpha 3 While waiting for Ryu to embrace the Satsui no Hado, Akuma wanders the globe in search of worthy opposition. He is confronted by Adon, who wishes to establish his fighting style as supreme. Akuma easily wins but, instead of killing Adon, he just leaves, apparently deeming his defeated foe as unworthy. Sometime later, Akuma is intercepted by Guy, who refuses to allow him to see Bison; Akuma ignores Guy's pleas and engages him in combat, defeating him. He then confronts Bison, who tells Akuma that he won't be able to defeat him as long as the Psycho Drive exists. Akuma berates the dictator for not relying solely upon his fists, and they fight. As Akuma emerges victorious, he completely terminates Bison with the Raging Demon, causing him to suffer horribly as the attack kills him. In his ending, Akuma is then challenged by Gen once more and they fight a second battle, the results of which are unknown. Unbeknownst to Akuma, Ryu rejected the Satsui no Hado during his own battle with the Shadaloo leader, M. Bison, declaring that a true warrior does not rely on violent intent. Super Street Fighter II Turbo Akuma did not officially enter the second World Warrior tournament, but did monitor the events that took place during it in hope of finding an adequate challenge. Prior to the final itself, he ambushed the host, M. Bison, and made short work of him with the Shun Goku Satsu. Bison is obliterated in an instant. Akuma then engages in combat with the second finalist, but the identity of this warrior, as well as the outcome of the bout, remains unknown. In both the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo and its HD remake, Akuma has two different endings, depending on who the final opponent is. If it is M. Bison, Akuma will muse on the fact that he did not master the Psycho Power and let it control him. If it is Shin Akuma, he will reflect on his victory over his own darkness, and consider death beneath him. Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival combines both endings into a whole one. Super Street Fighter IV During the events of Seth's tournament, he continues his training, and senses the Satsui no Hado reemerging within Ryu. Immediately, he sets off to find Ryu and help him realize this power so he can try to kill him in battle. Like the other tournaments, Akuma does not officially enter, but stays in the shadows. He meets and duels Ryu at Volcanic Rim. Later, he finds an unconscious Ryu in the care of his brother Gouken. Akuma noticed that his brother has perfected the Mu No Ken (Empty Fist). The two brothers fought, with Ryu being the prize. Both survived their fight, and Ryu was saved by Gouken. Akuma continued his training and his search for a worthy opponent to match his own, razing an entire forest with his power. Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact As with the second World Warrior tournament, Akuma did not enter the third World Warrior tournament, but once more lurked in the shadows. He successfully pulled off a Shun Goku Satsu on the tournament sponsor Gill, although he left without realizing that Gill had resurrected himself. Over this time-span, Akuma had trained relentlessly, harnessing his power and learning several new techniques; some were meant to create tidal waves, other were described as strong enough to split Uluru (Ayers Rock) in half, and one could kill an opponent with a single strike. One such self-taught technique is called the Kongou Kokuretsuzan, in which Akuma channels all his power into one hand and smashes it into the ground, creating a vortex of energy upward around him. It is supposedly this technique that was used to destroy his original training ground. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Akuma continued to develop his now-incredible fighting skill, and even fought with Oro in a simple, inconclusive battle, with each other sensing the other's massive chi and testing their powers. Though mutually impressed by each other's power, both men expressed some contempt for the other on a personal basis. It is also revealed that Akuma has now demonstrated the ability to remain underwater under massive pressure for extended periods of time, and has even managed to make his Tenshou Kaireki Jin technique powerful enough to destroy the massive sunken ruins of a modern liner ship. Gameplay and fighting style Having mastered the original form of the unnamed "Shotokan" art, Akuma has the same moves as Ryu and Ken, only much faster and more damaging. His Gohadoken can be used in midair as well. His Tatsumaki Zankukyaku knocks the opponent down instantly and can also juggle. His Goshoryuken knocks down his opponent at the first hit, lands 3 hits up close, and can also juggle with a single use in certain instances. Due to embracing the Satsui no Hado, Akuma has other special moves that Ryu and Ken normally lack. The Ashura Senku is a teleport move with very short start-up and recovery, which allows him to escape a corner almost at will. The Tenmakujinkyaku is a downwards-angled kick that he can use at the peak of his jumps; it is very fast, hard to punish, and allows for combos afterward. The Hyakkishu is a flip attack, similar to Cammy's Hooligan Combination, that allows Akuma to either attack or grab an opponent while moving forward. He also has the Zenpou Tenshin in the Alpha games, which makes him hop and roll forward a short distance. As a computer-controlled opponent in most games (e.g. Super Street Fighter II Turbo), Akuma is even more powerful, faster, and more durable in comparison, usually only appearing as a final or hidden boss. In his "playable" from, he is usually saddled with extremely low stamina, turning him into a "glass cannon". From 3rd Strike on, he has an extremely short stun meter as well. This reflects his personality, as Akuma often holds back his power so as to give his opponents a fighting chance; when fought as a secret boss, Akuma effectively deems the player's character worthy, and powers up accordingly. Super Combos Akuma's Super Combos, introduced in the Alpha series (for reasons explained below) consist of a high-powered Gohadoken, a powered-up Zanku Hadoken, a Shoryuken-based move similar to Ken's Shoryureppa without the scorching effect, and an upward-spiraling Tatsumaki that can also be used in midair. Akuma's most well known Super Combo is the Shun Goku Satsu, also known as the Raging Demon; it is traditionally one of the strongest attacks in any game Akuma appears in. Two more moves are introduced in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and the Capcom vs. SNK series: the Kongou Kokuretsuzan has Akuma strike the ground hard, generating lightning and waves of energy, and the Misogi has him perform a homing teleport directly above the opponent and deliver a fierce descending strike. In 3rd Strike, Akuma is the only other character to possess more than 3 Super Arts AND have 3 of them usable during a match. Ibuki has four Super Arts in total, due only to having two of them swapped between Second Impact and Third Strike; Gill can also use his three Arts in a single match, though the other two are rendered unusable after Resurrection. Akuma is also one of two characters without any EX Specials in the series, with the other being Gill. In Street Fighter IV, he has the Wrath of the Raging Demon as his Ultra Combo. In Super Street Fighter IV, Akuma's second Ultra Combo is an extremely powerful Tatsumaki-based move known as Demon Armageddon. Its Japanese name, Tenshou Kaireki Jin, reveals it to be the attack that Akuma would perfect into the literal sea-splitting and explosively ascending technique shown in 3rd Strike. In his appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken, unlike other characters, he has two Super Arts; his signature Raging Demon and the Misogi, which not been seen since the Capcom vs. SNK games. His Cross Art also uses the Tenma Shurettou, also making its return from the Capcom vs. SNK games. Gallery Category:Capcom Characters Category:Street Fighter Characters Category:Arcade Debut Category:All Characters